Coordinated Management of Meaning

Coordinated Management of Meaning By Kaj Voetmann inspired by Barnett Pearce and Vernon Cronen

CMM Purposes • Explain the meaning of a situation • Explain why people do the strange things they do (seen from my personal perspective) • Help us act wisely in the moment • Make better self images, relationships and social worlds

What does it mean to be human? • We have the ability to coordinate actions (stories lived) with other people ….. And many people choose not to do it • We have the ability to reauthor the stories we bring with us (stories told)….. And many people choose not to develop this ability • Stories lived and stories told are interconnected but they are never the same!

Reauthoring stories • No change • The exception that confirms the rule • Gradual change over time • Converting to a new world view • Integrating stories in a larger story that brings past, present and future togetherr

Coordinated Management of Meaning – the Bowtie Model

Going on in a meaningful way • Human beings do not need to understand things in order to act • If they had to understand before they act, the human race would be extinct • In stead they look for meaningful ways of going on and act • They act from their experiences and most form the expectations they have build from their experiences

Sensemaking • Everyone wants to make a difference for themselves and others by contributing constructively to the commuities they belong to • Everyone needs to • be able to build and maintain their sense of belonging by identifying with the purpose of each community • be able to visualize the preferred future together with others • be able to create a coherent story that brings past, present and future stories together to a whole • be able to visualie the path to the future together with others and create indicators, that shows if they are getting closer to the preferred future • know that action and reflection is only way to learn how to build a new future • be able to handle diversity and be flexible

Core elements in sensemaking Preferred future Present state Purpose/Mission Indicators Values

Meaningful moments Which future possibilities are opened and closed by the present focus?

Weaving future stories together Individual stories Team stories Organizational or community stories

Making preferred futures come true • Ambitious visions (provocative propositions) • Strategic projects • Development resources • Rewards for strategic efforts

Blending preferred futures Consummatory moments History making moments Formulate your ideas on actions and results clearly Get inspiration from others Rebuild your ideas with the new parts to useful actions Create experiments If an experiment is a failure: Maybe the ideas weren’t too good But there is nothing wrong with us • Formulate your mission, vision and values • Connect to other peoples missions, visions and values • Create an experience where missions, visions and values become united

Scientific Paradigms Linear Social constructionist Good science is spoken and shown is useful locally is useful in a space of time respects that the meaning of words are given by the use The whole is central in the study of things and defines the roles of the parts and connections Selves are social in nature Language creates the world • Good science • is written • is universal • is eternal • defines words precisely and uses them according to the definition • The parts are central in the study of things • Selves are fixed in nature • Language describes the real world out there

Central questions • What did we create or recreate in the patterns of interactions? • Self images • Relationships • Social worlds • How did we create it? • How can we create better social worlds?

Types of stories • Slogans • Anecdotes • Rich and full stories • Stereotyping • Enriching self stories, relationships and social worlds

CMM the Serpentine Model

CMM the LUUUUTT Model Untold stories Unknown stories Stories Lived StoryTelling Stories Told Untellable stories Unheard stories

CMM the Hierachy Model

Reframing incompatible stories through mediation Pro abortion Pro life • Having dinner together – no talking about abortion • Each person tells their personal story about their point of view • Everyone participate in a dialogue about how to create a social world where we can respect the experience of all the affected people and find a mutually beneficial solutions

CMM – Strange Loops

Promoting Well-being • Personal well-being • Optimism • An experience of being in control and having autonomy • An experience of mastering the challenges in the things you participate in • An experience of being able to handle the challenges on your own • An experience of progress and meaningful activities

Promoting Well-being • Organizational well-being • Effective environment • Reflective environment • Emotional environment • Coordinated environment

Promoting Well-being • Community well-being • Clear rights and obligations • Clear possibilities and restraints • Interpersonal clearness • Everyone else always make sense of your actions and reactions by inventing stories that gives meaning to your behaviour • Tell the stories people need to know to be able to be close to you

Coordinated Management of Meaning